'Don't weary yourself for the present, discreet Lenio, in seeking to show us in your song what you feel in your heart, for the road from here to the village is short, and it seems to me more time is needed than you think to defend yourself against the many who hold a view contrary to yours. Keep your reasonings for a more convenient spot, for some day you and Elicio with other shepherds will be together at the spring of slates or the stream of palms, where, with greater ease and comfort, you may be able to discuss and make clear your different opinions.' 'The opinion Elicio holds is mere opinion,' replied Lenio, 'but mine is absolute knowledge, and proved, which, sooner or later, forced me to uphold it, seeing that it carried truth with it; but, as you say, there will not fail a time more fitting for this end.' 'This will I arrange,' answered Elicio, 'for it grieves me that so fine an intellect as yours, friend Lenio, should lack what might improve it and enhance it, like the pure and true love whose enemy you show yourself.' 'You are deceived, Elicio,' replied Lenio, 'if you think by specious words and sophisms to make me change principles I would not hold it manly to change.' 'It is as wrong,' said Elicio, 'to persist in wrong, as it is good to persevere in good, and I have always heard my elders say it is the part of the wise to take counsel.' 'I do not deny that,' answered Lenio, 'whenever I see that my judgment is not correct; but so long as experience and reason do not show me the contrary to what they have shown me hitherto, I believe that my opinion is as true as yours is false.' 'If the heretics of love were to be punished,' said Erastro at this point, 'I would begin from this moment, friend Lenio, to cut wood wherewith to burn you for the greatest heretic and enemy that love has.' 'And even though I saw naught of love, save that you, Erastro, follow it, and are of the band of lovers,' replied Lenio, 'that alone would suffice to make me renounce it with a hundred thousand tongues, if a hundred thousand I had.' 'Do you think then, Lenio,' answered Erastro, 'that I am not fit to be a lover?' 'Nay,' replied Lenio, 'I think that men of your disposition and understanding are fitted to be among love's servants; for he who is lame falls to the ground at the slightest stumble, and he who has little wisdom, wants but little time to lose it all; and as for those who follow the banner of this your valorous captain, I for my part hold that they are not the wisest in the world; and if they have been, they ceased to be it, the moment they fell in love.' Great was the displeasure Erastro felt at what Lenio said, and thus he answered him: 'I think, Lenio, your insane reasonings deserve another punishment than words; but I hope that some day you will pay for what you have just said, without being aided by what you might say in your defence.'